Ditching-machine.



- D.' E. HOWATT.

DITGHING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 12, 1904. RBNBWRD MAY 17, 1906.

.$954,677. Y Patented Apr.12,1910.

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`ANDREW s. GRAHAM co.. PnoTaLWNDGRAPMEns,v/Asrimoow. u C

N OFFICE.

DAVID E. HOWAT'I, OF EAST CLEVELAND, OHIO.

DITCHIN G-MACIIIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

Application led May 12, 1904, Serial No. 207,560. Renewed May 17, 1906. Serial No. 317,346.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID E. HowAT'r, a citizen of the United States, resident of East Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a. new and useful Improvement in Ditching-Machines, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention relates to machines for excavating the soil to form ditches for tiling in land drainage, such machines being commonly referred to as ditching machines.

Said invention has for its object the excavation of such ditches with the removal of a minimum amount of earth; in other words, my improved form of ditching machine is designed to excavate a narrow ditch or trench with substantially vertical sides to whatever depth, within usual limits, it is desired to go. This result, I am aware, has been achieved heretofore, by means of the entirely different and much more cumbersome and expensive typeof machine in which the excavating is accomplished by plows or shovels attached to or in combination with suitable elevating or conveying means.

My machine utilizes as the earth-detaching means a pair of rotary disks whose axes of rotation are inclined to each other, and my invention embodies the principle which controls the operation of such disks. This principle, briefly stated', is that to accomplish the excavation of a ditch with vertical sides by means of two disks as described above, the plane passing through the axes of rotation of such disks must be approximately horizontal no matter at what depth such disks may be operating. The reason for this is obvious: The disks cut effectively and form vertical sides only when the point where they most nearly approach each other is directly in the rear. Now, the greater the depression of the plane passing through the axes of said disks from the horizontal, the greater will be the loss in eiciency and the more inclined the sides, until such point of nearest approach of the disks is directly below, the disks will not cut at all and the bottom of the ditch be narrowed to a line. Tith a view to obviating this difficulty, and the accomplishment of other desirable objects, said invention then consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing: Figure l represents a plan view of a ditching machine embodying my invention, with the conveyer removed; Fig. 2 represents a broken side elevation of such machine; Fig. 3 represents a partial end elevation looking in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 represents a detail cross-section taken upon the plane indicated by the line IV-IV on Fig. 1.

The said device consists primarily of two main parts, a carriage and a pivotal frame carrying excavating means and a conveyer, as will be presently described. The carriage proper comprises two wheels A A mounted upon a suitable axle B; two upwardly curved, rearwardly extending iron bars B B that form the body of the carriage, such bars being journaled at their front ends upon the axle and secured to each other at their rear ends by a cross-plate b; and a swiveled wheel, or trailer, b that is journaled in said plate Z). Braces b2 b2, 67 o7 are secured as shown to stiften the structure of the carriage body. A plate C is secured to the top of said bars and affords a seat for the driver'. In the rear of such seat is mounted a drum C journaled in suitable standards b3 b3, and provided with a hand wheel b4, ratchet-wheel b5 and dog 66 engaging said ratchet-wheel, whereby a chain CL may be wound upon said drum as will be readily understood.

The pivotal frame referred to above comprises two side plates Z CZ journaled upon axle B, to the upperpend of which are secured respectively two rearwardly extending parallel iron or steel bars cZ; a trough cl2 being attached to the rear ends of the latter; and a lower angle-bar Z3 whose front end is secured to the plates CZ Z by means of a transverse rod Z4 passing through such plates, and whose rear end is riveted to the bottom of the front end of trough Z2 as shown. A yoke Z5 is secured to the trough to which is attached the lower end of chain C2, whereby it is seen, the rear or free end of the frame is suspended from the carriage and may be raised or lowered by means of the hand-wheel b4 and drum C.

ln the upper portions ot plates l CZ is journaled a spindle e of a rotary drum E, which spindle carries two sprockets c e on opposite sides ot the drum respectively, which are driven by two chains c2 e2 themselves driven by two sprockets e3 e3 secured to axle B, ln the rear end of trough Z2 is mounted a second rotary drum et and around this drum passes a belt f carrying means tor catching and holding soil, forming a traveling conveyer, the upper portion ot which travels from rear to t'ront, the side bars d. forming a guide for same. Such catching and holding means 1 have shown to consist of buckets j". The angle-bar Z3 supports the lower or return portion ot the conveyor and prevents same from sagging. The trough cl2, having bottom and sides, protects the lower end of the conveyer and prevents the same' from coming into contactwith the ground as the machine passes over it.

At the rear extremity of the trame is mounted the means tor excavating or detaching the soil. Such means comprise a device tor raising the soil and discharging the same onto the conveyer belt just described, and consist of two rotary disks G G mounted upon studs g g secured to the end and outside of the trough (Z2, the axes of said studs being inclined relatively to each other, as shown. These disks plow through and detach the soil and drop itupon the conveyer so that the buckets 7" of the latter catch the same easily, without the necessity of its being pressed or forced therein, and then carry it forward to the front otl the machine. Disks G G may be adjusted by being moved up and down by means of the chain, drum and hand-wheel betere mentioned. A rearwardly projecting shoe d is secured to the bottom of the end of the trough (Z2, which protects such end trom wear and also assists in loosening up the soil with which it comes in contact. At the front of the carriage and below the trout end of the conveyer is a trough or chute H which inclines laterally, receives and discharges the soil discharged from the conveyer as will be readily understood.

ln operation, the above described machine is drawn along over the ground to be ditched, the rotation Vot wheels eil'ecting the operation ot the conveyer. rEhe disks are dropped a distance determined by experience to etl'ect the excavation most etliciently in view of the character ot the soil at the scene ot operation, the trailer ZJ tollowing on behind in the ditch and supporting the rear end of the body. The trough H is fastened at an angle such that the of the machine while in operation will suttice to insure the discharge of the soil therefrom. 1f the excavator strikes a stone or other obstacle too large to be included between the disks G G, it is not necessary to stop the machine, pull or push it back Jfor a distance, and then litt it over the obstacle, but my arrangement of disks and the suspended condition of one end of the pivoted frame permitthe disks to ride easily over such obstacle without injury to the machine or a loss et time. rlhe trough Z2 also acts as a protection to the lower part ot the frame, is well as the protect-ing shoe (Z6, and assists the disks in riding easily over the obstacle when the latter gets in under the trough. 1t. will also be seen that the adjustable feature ot said trame permits ditches of varying depth to be excavated, it being only required to repeat the operation over the same path, each successive operation being accompanied by a lowering of the free end of the trame and disks mounted thereon. 1t will also be clear that in view oit the elongation of the trame, so that its length, or radius of oscillation .largely exceeds the radius ot the excavating disks, the latter may be depressed to a considerable depth and yet involve only a relatively small angular movement on the part of the frame. The angle that the axes of said disks will be depressed from the horizontal plane in which they should lie will be correspondingly small and their cutting eiiiciency hence not perceptibly decreased.

1n the form of machine described above, the result to be attained, z'. e. the maintaining ot the plane passing through the axes ot rotation ot' the disks substantially horizontal is accomplished by such a proportioning ot the parts ot the machine as will require the swinging of the pivotal trame through only a small angle trom the horizontal in order to depress its tree end, and the attached disks, to a considerable depth. The condition involved may be, perhaps, best expressed in terms ot the relationship between the radius ot the rotary disks G and the radius of the arc of the circle in which they are swung.

Other modes oit applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead ot the one explained, change being made as regards tie mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any one ot the following laims or the equivalent ot such stated means be en'iployed.

l therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; a secondary trame having one end pivoted to and the other end suspended troni said carriage; excavating means mounted upon said iframe and consisting ot two rotary disks having their axes of rotation inclined to each other; and means for conveying and elevating excavated soil, said carriage and excavating means being so disposed and proportioned relatively to each other as to maintain, within the working limits of the machine, the axes of rotation of said disks in a substantially horizontal plane. i

2. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; a secondary frame having one end pivoted to and the other end suspended from said carriage; a conveyer mounted upon said frame; and rotary disks, whose axes of rotation are inclined to each other, mounted upon said frame, adapted to excavate soil, and discharge the same onto said conveyer.

3. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; a secondary frame having one end pivoted to and the other end suspended from said carriage; means for raising and lowering the suspended end of said frame; a conveyer mounted upon said frame; studs, whose axes are inclined to each other, secured to said frame; and means carried by said studs, adapted to excavate soil, and discharge the same onto said conveyer.

4. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; a secondary frame having one end pivoted to and the other end suspended from said carriage; means for raising and lowering the suspended end of said frame; a conveyer mounted upon said frame; studs secured to the suspended end of said frame and having their axes inclined to each other; disks carried by said studs, adapted to excavate soil, and discharge the same onto said conveyer; and means secured to said :trame and adapted to assist its suspended end in riding over obstacles and to protect said conveyer from contact with the soil.

5. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; excavating means carried thereby; a conveyer inclining upwardly from said excavating means in the direction in which said machine is designed to move; adapted to elevate and carry excavated soil away from said means; and a trough in which said conveyer is guided and protected from contact with the soil, said excavating means being adapted to place the excavated soil in said trough.

6. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; excavating means carried thereby; and a conveyer inclining upwardly from said excavating means in the direction in which the machine is designed to move, adapted to elevate and carry excavated soil away from said means, said excavating means being adapted to place the excavated soil in position to be thus operated upon by said conveyer.

7 In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; excavating means carried thereby; a conveyer for carrying excavated soil away from said means; a trough positloned under said conveyer and 1n which the latter is guided, said trough protecting said conveyer from contact with the soil; and a protecting shoe carried upon one end of said trough and adapted, in combination with the latter, to enable said excavating means to ride over obstacles.

8. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; a secondary frame pivotally mounted upon said carriage; rotary disks whose axes of rotation are inclined to each other, mounted upon said frame and adapted to excavate soil; and means movable with and by said carriage, mounted upon said secondary frame, and adapted to receive and convey excavated soil away from said disks.

9. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; rotary disks whose axes of rotation are inclined to each other, suspended from said carriage and adapted to excavate soil; means for vertically adjusting said disks; and means for receiving and carrying the excavated soil away from said disks.

l0. In a ditching machine, the combina- 'tion of a carriage; a frame having one end pivoted to and the other end suspended from said carriage; a conveyer mounted upon said frame; means for vertically adjusting the suspended end of the latter; and two cutting members adapted to excavate soil, elevate the same intermediately of their contiguous surfaces, and discharge it onto said conveyer.

11. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; a secondary frame pivotally mounted upon said carriage; disks rotatably mounted on the free end of said frame and adapted to detach the soil, the axes of said disks being inclined to each other and the axis of oscillation of said frame being higher than that of said axes; and means mounted upon said frame for receiving such soil from said disks and conveying the same away.

l2. In a ditching machine, the combination of a carriage; a secondary frame pivotally mounted upon said carriage, and inclining downwardly therefrom; disks rotatably mounted on the free end of said frame and adapted to detach the soil, the axes of said disks being inclined to each other; and means mounted upon said frame for receiving such soil from said disks and conveying the same away.

Signed by me, this 10th day of May, 1904.

DAVID E. HOWATT.

Attested by- J. B. FAY, D. T. DAvIEs. 

